When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the senior England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing England too,” Scott stated previously.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that slice of youth back was something I definitely required.
“To gain some confidence by returning and playing local football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Within 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for his club, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
